Heavy .50 caliber black powder cartridge for the Sharps single-shot; used extensively by professional buffalo hunters and is associated with the Battle of Adobe Walls in 1874.
Type: Rifle
Introduced: 1872, United States
Parent case: .50 Sharps family
Standardization: Proprietary
Bullet diameter: 0.512" (13 mm)
Rim type: Rimmed
Primer: Berdan Large Rifle
Production status: Discontinued
Also known as: .50-90 · 50 Caliber 90 Grain Sharps · .50-90 Sharps Straight
History: The .50-90 Sharps was the go-to cartridge for professional buffalo hunters in the early 1870s. Its most famous use was at the Battle of Adobe Walls in June 1874, where buffalo hunter Billy Dixon reportedly dropped a Comanche warrior at 1,538 yards with a Sharps .50-90 — a shot still celebrated in shooting folklore.